Dedham resident donates to Boston Arts Academy Foundation

Monday

Apr 15, 2019 at 11:30 AM

Dedham resident and philanthropist Donna Harris-Lewis recently donated $500,000 to the Boston Arts Academy to support fitness, health and wellness at the city’s only public high school for the visual and performing arts.

The formal presentation of that gift and another $500,000 donation from an anonymous donor, was hosted by Mayor Martin J. Walsh at the Parkman House during the campaign kick-off breakfast. The event officially launched the foundation’s first-ever five-year, campaign, “Building Our Future,” which aims to raise $30 million to support Boston Arts Academy.

“We’re incredibly grateful for these landmark gifts to arts education in Boston,” said BAA Foundation President Denella Clark. “Our donors recognize that BAA students are the future — the next generation of artists, scholars and engaged citizens. The work of the BAA Foundation is vital to keeping the ‘arts’ in Boston Arts Academy. While talent is equally distributed, opportunity is not, and we seek to close the opportunity gap permanently. This is why we are incredibly grateful to our anonymous donor and the Lewis family. There are many rewards to giving, but none as rewarding as transforming the life of a young person.”

To recognize the Lewis family’s gift, Boston Arts Academy’s first fitness center will be named in honor of Harris-Lewis’ late husband, Reginald “Reggie” Lewis Sr., captain of the Boston Celtics and NBA All-Star. The fitness center will open the door to health, exercise and physical activities for generations of students.

“This gift will help BAA students — many of whom come from underserved communities — utilize athletics and academics to improve their quality of life. That’s what Reggie did during his time with us, and that’s what our family firmly believes in and supports,” said Harris-Lewis, a local philanthropist and member of the BAA Foundation Board of Directors and “Building Our Future” Campaign Cabinet. “Boston Arts Academy creates a level playing field of opportunity for students who have the talent and passion to pursue the arts and who, by enrolling, receive an education that prepares them for wherever life takes them.”

The anonymous gift will support the school’s Health and Wellness Program, which provides critical assistance for students struggling with emotional and socio-economical challenges.

“As Boston Arts Academy enters its third decade, it’s beginning an exciting chapter in its history, finding new ways to serve future generations of Boston students who excel through arts education,” said Walsh. “This is an institution that plays a special role in our city, which is why we are investing in a new, state-of-the-art facility to support its creative curriculum. These additional investments will further support our visual and performing arts school, its students and its important mission.”

Through the five-year “Building Our Future” Campaign, BAA Foundation is raising $30 million to augment Boston Arts Academy’s school budget and ensure long-term sustainability. Part of this campaign will create a critical $10 million endowment — supporting BAA’s distinct offerings, including its Health and Wellness Program and STEAM Lab, which infuses arts across subjects, encouraging student inquiry, dialogue and critical thinking in science, technology, engineering and math. It will also support college scholarships for graduating seniors.

Since its founding 21 years ago, BAA has provided access to conservatory-quality arts training and college preparatory education for a diverse student body that comes from every neighborhood in Boston. Over the past four years, 97% of the school’s graduates have been accepted to college; most are first-generation college students. Currently, 469 students are enrolled.

In October 2018, the BAA community broke ground on a new $125 million facility at its Fenway location, which will expand from 121,000 square feet to 153,500 square feet upon its completion in 2021. Among many highlights, it will include new and much-needed enhanced theatres, career center, academic classrooms, dance studios, music practice rooms and fashion technology studios and workspace. The additional space will allow the school to serve approximately 650 students.